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What is the Last Known Good configuration and what can it do to help me?
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Petri IT Knowledgebase Team
The "Last Known Good" configuration is one of the available startup options in Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. It starts the computer by using the registry information and drivers that Windows saved at the last shutdown. Any changes made since the last successful startup will be lost.
The Last Known Good Configuration startup option allows you to recover from a problem by reversing driver and registry changes made since you last started Windows XP/2000/2003. Windows does not update Last Known Good Configuration information in the registry until the operating system successfully restarts in normal mode and a user logs on and is authenticated.
Use Last Known Good Configuration only in cases of incorrect configuration. It does not solve problems caused by corrupted or missing drivers or files.
To start the computer using the last known good configuration:
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Restart your computer (or turn it on if it was turned off, duh...)
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When you see the message Please select the operating system to start, press F8.
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Use the arrow keys to highlight Last Known Good Configuration, and then press ENTER.
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If you have a dual-boot or multiple-boot system, choose the installation that you need to access using the arrow keys, and then press ENTER.
Using Last Known Good Configuration restores information for the registry subkey HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet. Additionally, if you updated any device drivers, choosing Last Known Good Configuration restores the previous drivers.
Using Last Known Good Configuration might enable you to resolve startup or stability problems. For example, if a Stop error occurs immediately after installing a new application or device driver, you can restart the computer and use Last Known Good Configuration to recover from the problem.
When you are troubleshooting, it is recommended that you use Last Known Good Configuration before you try other options, such as safe mode. However, even if you decide to use safe mode first, logging on to the computer in safe mode does not update the Last Known Good Configuration. Therefore, using Last Known Good Configuration remains an option if you cannot resolve your problem by using safe mode.
You can also use Last Known Good Configuration by selecting it from the startup recovery menu. Windows XP Professional detects when the last startup attempt was not successful and displays a message that includes a menu of startup options. The startup recovery menu is separate from the Windows Advanced Options Menu. A user manually invokes the Windows Advanced Options Menu by pressing F8, while the operating system automatically displays the startup recovery menu after an unsuccessful startup.
